Health: See clearly now

Coloured contact lenses arent just for looking good, theyre now being used to treat dyslexia and migraines, says Thea Jourdan

Dawn Matcham has the most beautiful eyes. Everyone comments on them at the hospital in Kent where she works as a nurse. “They really are a startling colour,” says Matcham, 37, whose irises are a beguiling shade of mauve, blue, and grey, with a dash of violet. “My patients are always telling me how lovely they are.”

In fact, Matcham’s eyes are blue, but she wears coloured contact lenses with a custom-made tint. In her case, however, her faux eye colour is not a fashion statement. The Elizabeth Taylor hue is a medical necessity, prescribed by an ophthalmic optician after exhaustive tests. “If it wasn’t for my coloured contact lenses, I would not be able to do my job,” says Matcham, who has suffered from a form of dyslexia since childhood. She cannot read labels or even negotiate stairs unless she sees the world through a violet lens. “I used